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Tour: Pathmark - Botany Plaza, Clifton, New Jersey

This week at A&P Preservation we're taking a look at the former Pathmark in Clifton, New Jersey at Botany Plaza. Ideal Marketplace, owned by America's Food Basket (an independent chain using the "Essential Everyday" store-brand) picked up this location, and opened in 2016. Ideal didn't do much to the outside of this location (just a new coat of paint), but they did do some pretty significant work on the inside. This store had the "Path To Savings" decor that we've all learned to love.

One thing that I absolutely hate with (almost) a passion is the fact that all of these new stores that use "polished concrete floors" aren't forming them properly. This is the case in a lot of stores now. They rip up the tiles and basically just polish it from there, without removing the tile patterns or grout that may still be left on it.

One thing that I have to give Ideal props for is the decor in this store. It looks absolutely stunning, and almost compares to those of Acme and Stop & Shop.

More awesome decor!

Bulk foods and Deli here. My guess is that these cases are left over from Pathmark, and they just repainted them. That's the case in many supermarkets...

One thing that has been replaced by Ideal is the shelving. This style of shelving is similar to those in Pennsylvania-based Redner's.

Now here's where it starts to get A&P-ish! Ideal has a cutaway section here for their prepacked meats. This was a standard issue in 2000's A&P models. Obviously this isn't original to the store, as it was built way before A&P acquired Pathmark from Yucaipa Companies in 2007.

Definitely Pathmark-esque freezer doors... with the linoleum tile pattern still visible. As you can tell, I probably won't give this up. Similar to Ideal with the next picture...

Recognize this? It's a Path to Savings era bread display! My local A&P in Clinton, New Jersey, (Whose name sounds very similar to Clifton) had acquired one of these displays for their bakery at the time when I visited.

When you're exiting this store, you can tell that there's one more thing that's left over from Pathmark. Wondering what it is? The carts? The chain? The circulars? None of the above... it's the Cart Corral. Ideal spray-painted it green and replaced the signage in it. They would've looked like this back in the Pathmark days.

I like how Ideal uses their cart corrals to advertise their services, rather than promoting rewards programs and weekly sales. It sure brings their cost down!

85 Ackerman AvenueClifton, NJ

Pathmark > Ideal Marketplace

Comments

Thanks for posting these photos! I agree, the decor is great. It's probably designed by DY Design, and it appears to be a lower-budget version of the decor that's in CitiGrocer in Elizabeth, NJ (no relation to this Ideal, although it also uses Essential Everyday and Wild Harvest brands). https://www.floorfolio.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/citigrocer-6920.jpg If I'm not mistaken, these are the only two stores with this decor package right now.

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